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Wind energy

Wind is a great source of natural energy, and people have been using it for many thousands of years. It helps sailboats to move across water, it helps farmers draw water from wells, and it’s now used to make electricity for our towns and cities.

1

A wind turbine is like a giant windmill. It has long blades like aeroplane propellers which are used to ‘catch’ the energy in wind and turn it into electricity.

2

Wind turbines are extremely tall. Do you know why they reach so high? Because wind is stronger higher in the sky.

3

A group of wind turbines is called a wind farm. Depending on the number of turbines in the wind farm, it may generate enough electricity to power a small town.

4

Using the clean energy from wind farms helps us to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide pollution in the air.

"Little Lee Patrick Sullivan" explains how the wind can be used to generate power.

Wind energy facts

1

Denmark was one of the first countries to use wind power for electricity. Today, it’s one of the largest producers of wind-generated electricity in the world.

2

Australia has plenty of wind! There are many places we could build wind farms to help provide clean electricity to our towns and cities.

3

Sometimes wind turbines need to be shut down in storms, because very strong winds can damage the blades.

4

Modern wind turbines aren’t very noisy. You can hold a conversation while standing beneath one, without having to yell.

In just five years the number of Australian solar PV systems went from 8,000 to 1,000,000

Wrap up

1

Wind energy is a reliable, renewable source of energy. It will never run out.

2

We ‘catch’ wind energy using wind turbines. Have you ever seen a wind farm?

3

Together, a group of wind turbines is called a wind farm. These farms can supply a lot of electricity.

4

Australia can harvest much more wind energy and make better use of this clean energy source.